The following article lists the presidents and heads of state of Costa Rica since Central American independence from Spain. From 1824 to 1838 Costa Rica was a state within the Federal Republic of Central America; since then it has been an independent nation.
Heads of state of Costa Rica (1824–1848)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!
! Head of State
! Portrait
! Term of office
! Political affiliation
! Notes
|-
! style="background:|
| Juan Mora Fernández<br />
| 100px
| 1824–1833
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:darkblue|
| José Rafael Gallegos<br />
| 100px
| 1833–1835
| Conservative
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Braulio Carrillo Colina<br />
| 100px
| 1835–1837
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Juan Mora Fernández<br />
| 100px
| March–April 1837
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Manuel Aguilar Chacón<br />
| 100px
| 1837–1838
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Braulio Carrillo Colina<br />
| 100px
| 1838–1842
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Francisco Morazán<br />
| 100px
| April–September 1842
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| António Pinto Soares<br />
| 100px
| September 1842
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José María Alfaro Zamora<br />
| 100px
| 1842–1844
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Francisco María Oreamuno Bonilla<br />
| 100px
| November–December 1844
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:darkblue|
| José Rafael Gallegos<br />
| 100px
| 1845–1846
| Conservative
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José María Alfaro Zamora<br />
| 100px
| 1846–1847
| Liberal
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Castro Madriz<br />
| 100px
| 1847–1848
| Liberal
|
|}
Presidents of Costa Rica (1848–present)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!
! width=150 colspan=2|President<br />
! width=100 colspan=2|Term of office
! width=100|Political affiliation
! Election
! Notes
|-
! style="background:|
| José María Castro Madriz<br />
| 100px
| 31 August 1848
| 16 November 1849
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1847
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Miguel Mora Porras<br />
| 100px
| 16 November 1849
| 26 November 1849
| Non-partisan Liberal
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Juan Mora Porras<br />
| 100px
| 26 November 1849
| 14 August 1859
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1849<br />1853<br />1859
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José María Montealegre Fernández<br />
| 100px
| 14 August 1859
| 8 May 1863
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1860
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Jesús Jiménez Zamora<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1863
| 8 May 1866
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1863
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Castro Madriz<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1866
| 1 November 1868
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1866
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Jesús Jiménez Zamora<br />
| 100px
| 1 November 1868
| 27 April 1870
| Military
| De facto
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Bruno Carranza Ramírez<br />
| 100px
| 27 April 1870
| 8 August 1870
| Non-partisan Liberal
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez<br />
| 100px
| 10 August 1870
| 8 May 1876
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1872
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1876
| 30 July 1876
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1876
|
|-
! style="background:darkblue|
| Vicente Herrera Zeledón<br />
| 100px
| 30 July 1876
| 11 September 1877
| Non-partisan Conservative
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez<br />
| 100px
| 11 September 1877
| 6 July 1882
| Non-partisan Liberal
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez<br />
| 100px
| 6 July 1882
| 20 July 1882
| Non-partisan Liberal
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Próspero Fernández Oreamuno<br />
| 100px
| 20 July 1882
| 12 March 1885
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1882
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Bernardo Soto Alfaro<br />
| 100px
| 12 March 1885
| 8 May 1890
| Non-partisan Liberal
| 1886
|
|-
! style="background:#012D8B|
| José Rodríguez Zeledón<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1890
| 8 May 1894
| Constitutional Democratic
| 1889
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Rafael Yglesias Castro<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1894
| 8 May 1902
| Civil
| 1894<br />1897
|
|-
! style="background:#D0D0D0|
| Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1902
| 8 May 1906
| National Union
| 1902
|
|-
! style="background:#D0D0D0|
| Cleto González Víquez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1906
| 8 May 1910
| National
| 1906
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1910
| 8 May 1914
| Republican
| 1910
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Alfredo González Flores<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1914
| 27 January 1917
| Republican
|
| De facto<br />
|-
! style="background:#2F4F4F|
| Federico Tinoco Granados<br />
| 100px
| 27 January 1917
| 13 August 1919
| Peliquista
|
|
|-
! style="background:#2F4F4F|
| Juan Quirós Segura<br />
| 100px
| 13 August 1919
| 2 September 1919
| Peliquista
| De facto
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Francisco Aguilar Barquero<br />
| 100px
| 2 September 1919
| 8 May 1920
| Republican
|
|
|-
! style="background:#012D8B|
| Julio Acosta García<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1920
| 8 May 1924
| Constitutional
| 1919
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1924
| 8 May 1928
| Republican
| 1923
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Cleto González Víquez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1928
| 8 May 1932
| National Union
| 1928
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1932
| 8 May 1936
| National Republican
| 1932
|
|-
! style="background:|
| León Cortés Castro<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1936
| 8 May 1940
| National Republican
| 1936
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Rafael Calderón Guardia<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1940
| 8 May 1944
| National Republican
| 1940
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Teodoro Picado Michalski<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1944
| 20 April 1948
| National Republican
| 1944
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Santos León Herrera<br />
| 100px
| 20 April 1948
| 8 May 1948
| National Republican
|
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Figueres Ferrer<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1948
| 8 November 1949
| Social Democratic
| De facto
|
|-
! style="background:#104AAE|
| Otilio Ulate Blanco<br />
| 100px
| 8 November 1949
| 8 November 1953
| National Union
| 1948
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Figueres Ferrer<br />
| 100px
| 8 November 1953
| 8 May 1958
| National Liberation
| 1953
|
|-
! style="background:#104AAE|
| Mario Echandi Jiménez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1958
| 8 May 1962
| National Union
| 1958
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1962
| 8 May 1966
| National Liberation
| 1962
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Trejos Fernández<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1966
| 8 May 1970
| National Unification
| 1966
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Figueres Ferrer<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1970
| 8 May 1974
| National Liberation
| 1970
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Daniel Oduber Quirós<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1974
| 8 May 1978
| National Liberation
| 1974
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Rodrigo Carazo Odio<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1978
| 8 May 1982
| Unity Coalition
| 1978
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Luis Monge Álvarez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1982
| 8 May 1986
| National Liberation
| 1982
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Óscar Arias Sánchez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1986
| 8 May 1990
| National Liberation
| 1986
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Rafael Calderón Fournier<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1990
| 8 May 1994
| Social Christian Unity
| 1990
|
|-
! style="background:|
| José Figueres Olsen<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1994
| 8 May 1998
| National Liberation
| 1994
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Miguel Rodríguez Echeverría<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 1998
| 8 May 2002
| Social Christian Unity
| 1998
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Abel Pacheco de la Espriella<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2002
| 8 May 2006
| Social Christian Unity
| 2002
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Óscar Arias Sánchez<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2006
| 8 May 2010
| National Liberation
| 2006
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Laura Chinchilla Miranda<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2010
| 8 May 2014
| National Liberation
| 2010
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2014
| 8 May 2018
| Citizens' Action
| 2014
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Carlos Alvarado Quesada<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2018
| 8 May 2022
| Citizens' Action
| 2018
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Rodrigo Chaves Robles<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2022
| 8 May 2026
| Social Democratic Progress
| 2022
|
|-
! style="background:|
| Laura Fernández Delgado<br />
| 100px
| 8 May 2026
| Incumbent<br />
| Sovereign People's
| 2026
|
|}
Timeline
See also
- List of presidents of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
- List of presidents of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica